| |
Dear Resident:
The site for the proposed new Wellesley High School
consists of wetlands, riverfront (Fuller Brook), and a
100-year flood plain. It is complicated by levels of
buried peat and silt. This creates an unstable foundation
for the proposed new building. Dr. Jerome Carr, a
Geologist and Geophysicist, brought this out clearly at
the Wellesley Special Town Meeting on October 20, 2008.
He explained that a significant earthquake could cause
the collapse of the proposed building as designed by
project architects, Symmes Maini & McKee Associates.
He also said building on buried peat deposits could cause
structural problems because peat is very weak. Despite
Dr. Carrs findings that pilings would be needed,
SMMA has eliminated pilings in this project and said
pilings were not required. This is in marked contrast to
the well-built existing 1938 high school and its 1956
wing that were properly built on solid pilings. The
184-page report on these issues, which Dr. Carr cited,
was not completed and submitted to the town until after
September 5, 2008. All these developments have put the
project in serious doubt.
It is most disturbing that SMMA was also project
architect for Lynn Classical High School, completed in
2000. That building was designed and constructed
improperly with shallow pilings and slabs over a former
dumpsite. The slab construction resulted in the sinking
of the building. It has cost the city of Lynn almost $25
million in repairs and countless ongoing lawsuits. |
|